Hold Me Tight, Give Me Warmth
by Four Leafed Clove
Summary: /"Am I broken, Finnick?"/ Annie has come home from her games, too many memories haunting her and barely living. My first Fannie, rated M for violence and themes. I don't own Eyes Open by Taylor Swift. For AngelsAreWatchingOverYou.


**For Angels are watching over you**

_Everybody's Waiting_

_Everybody's Watching_

_Even When You're Sleeping_

_Keep your ey – eyes open_

"Annie, nobody can hurt you now. You're safe," Finnick tells her. Tears spill down her face.

"No, Finnick," She sobs, "I can be hurt,"

"No, no," Finnick hushes her, "Shhh. Everything will be okay," He places a hand on her cheek and she screams.

"No, it can't be!" She sobs. Finnick pulls her in close and wraps his arms around her.

"I won't let them, Annie," Finnick assures her. Annie looks up at him.

"Do you promise?" She asks, her voice shaking. He nods.  
"Yes," His voice cracks.

_The Tricky Thing_

_Is Yesterday We Were Just Children_

_Playing Soldiers_

_Just Pretending_

_Dreaming Dreams With Happy Endings _

"Finnick!" His mother screeched, "My friend's coming over with her little girl! Be nice!"  
"Yes, mother," Finnick called back. He saw the girl enter the door and was immediately consumed in fear.

The girl was so pretty, yet looked so delicate. Her skin was pasty white and she wore a floral print dress. Her brown hair flowed down her shoulders and she seemed like she could spin around forever without a care in the world.

He couldn't believe that the Capitol would even force someone like her into the games, to see her brutally murdered…

"I'm Annie," The girl told him later, fluttering her eyes at him. He grinned.

"I'm Finnick," He told Annie, trying to stand up as tall as he could. She giggled.

"Hi, Finnick," Annie laughed.

"Hi, Annie," Finnick laughed with her.

Then they played a game.

"I can beat you, Cresta!" Finnick grinned, lunging at her with his cardboard sword his father had made.

"Dream on, Odair!" She called back cheekily, ducking away. Finnick chased after her.

"May as well say game over, Cresta!" He yelled, chasing her down onto the small cobbled street.

"No way, Odair!" She pouted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Oh!" He gasped, pretending to be offended. She jumped over a barrel but missed the next and tripped over. Blood spilled everywhere, flowing out her knee.

"Finnick!" She screamed, "Mother!" Finnick rushed to her side.

"Are you okay, Annie?" He asked. She whimpered.

"It hurts, Finnick," She whispered, before staring at her cardboard sword, which lay abandoned in a puddle left over from yesterday's rain. Tears flooded her face and Finnick looked worried.

"Mum!" He yelled, "Mrs Cresta!"  
There was no answer.

_In Backyards,_

_Winning Battles with our wooden swords_

_But Now We've Stepped into a Cruel World_

_Where Everybody Stands and Keeps Score_

_Keep Your Eyes Open_

"It was so scary, Finnick," Annie whimpers, "So… different. From the little games we'd play when we were younger. It was nothing like the games. It was so… cruel. I couldn't bear it, Finnick."  
"I know, Annie. I know," Finnick soothes her, hugging her tighter.

"I can't do this, Finnick," She sobs, wailing, "I can't! They died and I live!" She choked on her tears and let out an ear splitting scream.  
"Nobody can hurt you now, Annie. I promise you that," Finnick told her. Annie swallowed.

"Thank you, Finnick,"

_Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown_

_Everybody's watching to see the fall out_

_Even when you're sleeping_

Annie covered her ears as the axe slashed through Alexander's neck. The scream pierced the sky.

_No Annie, _a tiny voice whispered from somewhere in the back of her head, _Don't do it. Don't breakdown. Don't give them what they want, Annie. No, you can't do that. You can't let them see you become a piece in their cruel games._

_For Finnick, Annie. Do it for Finnick. _

"I'm sorry," She whispered, her voice cracking. Through her tears she ran at the girl and stabbed her in the chest.

It was the worst feeling she'd ever felt.

_Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open_

_So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard_

Annie crouched outside the Cornucopia ring. Tents were set up hugging the sides of the Cornucopia and she was on guard. The other members of her team were all asleep. She heard a familiar sound, a sound she'd only ever heard in District 4.

A… Flood.

She panicked and rushed over to the District 2 tent. The girl, Fay, was in charge of all the Careers, so that was probably who she should tell first.

"Fay!" She hissed.

"What?" Fay murmured. Annie looked impatient.

"There's a flood coming?" Annie told her, desperate. Fay didn't even bother to get out of the tent.

"Don't lie, Annie. There is no flood. You just don't want to keep watch. Shut up and keep watching!" Fay hissed.

"No!" Annie shouted, "I'm leaving! To get to safer, higher ground," Fay scoffed at this.

"Whatever, water girl. You'll be sorry."  
Annie grabbed some supplies and her tent before trekking to the tallest mountain in the arena.

_Every lesson forms a new scar__  
__They never thought you'd make it this far__  
__But turn around, they've surrounded you__  
__It's a showdown, and nobody comes to save you now_

_I'm a murderer, _Annie thought, _Now I've killed Fay. _She gulped down the last bottle in the entire Arena before running.

She sprinted away from the water but it gushed down in all different directions. She was trapped.

_Be brave… For Finnick…_

She took one last gulp of air before diving into the water. If covered the entire piece of land she had just been standing on. She breast stroked as far as she could before coming up for more air. She splashed in the water, trying to get as much air in her as possible. She saw three bodies float up out of the water.

_Drowned, _she though, propelling herself forward underwater. There was only one more person left, the guy from one. Then she heard a voice in her ear.

"_You are going to die, Cresta," _

_But you've got something they don't__  
__Yeah you've got something they don't__  
__You've just gotta keep your eyes open_

She was experienced. She knew how to stay underwater for long periods. It was a skill one must acquire at an early age in order to survive in District 4. She restricted as many movements as possible, allowing her to stay in the water for longer.

Then she felt the water ripple and he came closer. He was just tall enough to stand on tip toes and be able to have his head higher than the constantly rising water. She decided she had to act, and she kicked him in the groin. He fell backwards, clutching himself, but it was too late. He was already dying and that did it. She raced up for air.

_In, Out. In, Out. In, Out. _She thought, as she breathed in. She heard the cannon fire and then Claudius Templesmith announced her victory.

_I won. I won. I won. _It filled her mind. She had survived, one out of twenty three.

_I'll see Finnick again. _This sent tears of thankfulness running down her face.

_Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown__  
__Everybody's watching to see the fallout__  
__Even when you're sleeping, sleeping_

"Finnick," Annie splutters, "Will they treat me like you? Will they still be watching me? I don't want them to watch me, Finnick. Please,"

"They won't do anything to you, Annie. They all think that you're too broken to be of any use to them," Finnick tells her softly. Annie looks up at him.

"Am I broken, Finnick?" She asks.

He's too kind to answer so he just hugs her instead.

_Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open_

She wasn't sure what to do as he announced her name.

"_Welcome the lovely Annie Cresta, from District Four!"_

The Capitol crowd cheered and clapped. She felt so exposed, even though the sky blue dress she was wearing went all the way down to her knees. She felt them buckle underneath her weight and rushed over to meet Caesar Flickman. He lifted her hand up and the crowd cheered for her.

She supposed she'd just have to keep her eyes open until it was all over.

_Keep your feet ready__  
__Heartbeat steady__  
__Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your aim locked__  
__The night goes dark__  
__Keep your eyes open_

"Annie, kill the girl from twelve," Fay instructed her, "You know, the tiny little twelve year old."  
Annie didn't want to kill her. But the rules with the Careers was kill or be killed. So she did.

"Yeah, do it," Gemma, the girl from one, added. Annie shook her head.

Then she heard the screaming.

They had set Alexander out to chase her into the trap, so that she would be killed. And the ultimate killer would have to be Annie.  
"We don't want to waste two lives, Annie," Fay sighed cunningly, "Just do it and we won't have to."  
And Annie did it.

As the girl came running past, she threw the knife and it landed in the girl's shoulder. She turned to look at Annie and mouthed _'Help me, please'. _But it was too late. She crumpled to the ground and Alexander tossed Annie the knife.

"Let's get out of here," Gemma whispered. And they all left, with Annie moping behind.

Because she didn't want to be the killer.

_Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown__  
__Everybody's watching to see the fallout__  
__Even when you're sleeping, sleeping_

_Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open__  
__Keep your eyes open_

"Finnick, do they want me to be crazy?" Annie asks. Finnick sighs.

"Truthfully, yes." Finnick nods.

"Why?"  
"Because they know I love you, Annie. They just want to set me up with some Capitol woman to make lots of money off us," Finnick sighs.

"Would you do that?" Annie asks, hoping, praying that he says no.

"No, Annie. I wouldn't," Finnick tells her truthfully.

"You said you love me. Is that true?" Annie asks. Finnick smiles at her.

"Yeah, Annie. It's true. I do love you." Finnick nods, smiling. Annie grins.

"I love you too, Finnick," Then Finnick caresses her cheeks in his hands and kisses her full on the lips.

Then Annie knows this is what she fought for.


End file.
